Make a Difference this Holiday Season

Ladell is a 22-year-old native of Chicago. He and his six brothers and sisters were removed from his mother's home when he was 4. By the time he was 8, he had been bounced between six different foster families. At the age of 15, he was placed with what would be his last foster family. They forced Ladell into criminal activities, and when he eventually resisted, he was shot five times.



I met Ladell a few weeks ago when I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Year Up Chicago, a non-profit focused on providing rigorous IT training and business and customer service skills for free to some of the city's neediest young adults. The goal is to give those individuals a chance at a sustainable career and a living wage.

Despite the roadblocks that life had thrown in front of Ladell, he wasn't looking back or making excuses. He had enrolled himself in Year Up's program because he knew it was his best chance for success. He wanted to learn the IT skills that are in demand in companies around the country.

Ladell is the type of individual the CompTIA Educational Foundation is helping. The folks we are working with aren't looking for a handout but a chance for an education and an opportunity to prove themselves as capable and dedicated employees. We gave a $100,000 grant to Year Up Chicago to advance their mission, and we are working closely with them to incorporate the CompTIA A+ curriculum and certification testing into their program so the students have the knowledge employers in the IT industry demand.

Our foundation's mission is simple: we help disadvantaged young adults and at-risk youth, military veterans, and individuals with disabilities find employment by building their marketable skills through IT training and certifications. We also focus on providing greater opportunities for women and minorities in those specific groups to enter the IT workforce and bring a diversity of viewpoints and ideas to our industry.

We've helped nearly 1,000 individuals this year alone get the training and certifications they need to launch a career in IT. We've added new non-profit partners from around the country to broaden our reach and find more disadvantaged people who truly need our help to make their dreams of an IT job a reality.

Please consider making a small donation to the CompTIA Educational Foundation so we can reach more people like Ladell with our efforts. $10, $25, or more if you can spare it, will make a huge difference in our ability to fund and service the variety of non-profit partners we are working with to train those in need and those who have served.

CompTIA will match your donation dollar for dollar through the end of the year, and your donation is fully tax-deductible. You can donate directly online at https://www.comptia-ef.org/.

Thank you for your support, and I look forward to sharing many stories of success with you in the future.